LoveReading4Kids Says
LoveReading4Kids Says
March 2025 Book of the Month
What is a normal woman? I absolutely loved the section headers of Philippa Gregory’s Normal Women that declare, and back up, the fact that “normal women are landlords”, “normal women are fighters”, “normal women take power”, “normal women are bullied”, “normal women like sex”, and a whole lot more, from being knights, pirates, breadwinners, criminals, artists and entrepreneurs, to supporting slavery, standing up against slavery, striking and protesting.
And so it’s been across centuries, from 1066 when this book picks up sharing lesser-known aspects of women’s history, through to 1994, when the Church of England allowed women to enter the priesthood, which came two years after “the law was changed so that sex when a wife did not consent was named as a crime – the crime of rape”.
Enhanced by a podcast series, this illuminating book has been adapted for a teenage readership from Gregory’s original work of the same name, and the tone is suitably lively, and perfectly complemented by Alexis Snell’s illustrations. In short, Normal Women is a trove of illuminating information that sets countless records straight through showcasing diverse stories of survival, strength and sisterhood, more than fulfilling the author’s desire to “show that, through time, we see an almost infinite variety of ‘normal women’”.
Joanne Owen
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About
Normal Women Synopsis
The bestselling, critically acclaimed women's history from blockbuster author Philippa Gregory - adapted for teen readers!
Today, when we think of women of the past, we often think of the 1800s and 1900s - crinolines and stage coaches, bonnets and balls - a time when women were told they were naturally inferior to men, and must stay at home while men went out to work and have fun.
HUGE MISTAKE! There is so much more to women's history than bonnets and big dresses! Ordinary women have been doing extraordinary things FOR EVER - it just didn't make the history books (written by men!).
Join multi-award-winning author Philippa Gregory as she tells the story of ordinary English women, making history for 900 years. Meet farmers, highwaywomen, pirates, 'female husbands', slaves, soldiers, criminals, writers, inventors, rioters and more - protesting, working, playing, taking risks, getting rich (and getting even!). Their story is one of ingenuity, diversity, rebellion, survival - and sisterhood.
Illustrated throughout by award-winning printmaker Alexis Snell.
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9780008725075 |
| Publication date: |
27th February 2025 |
| Author: |
Philippa Gregory |
| Illustrator: |
Alexis Snell |
| Publisher: |
Red Shed an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers |
| Format: |
Paperback |
| Pagination: |
288 pages |
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Press Reviews
Philippa Gregory Press Reviews
Praise for Normal Women (adult edition):
'A lasting work of social history' The Times
'A genuinely new history of our nation' Dan Jones
'This celebration of women is a triumph of popular history' Spectator
'Philippa Gregory uses all her bestseller skills to weave a narrative with pace' Antonia Fraser
'You'll lose count of the number of things you learn about women and their skewed place in history … the book reframes the past … an essential read' Independent
'We all know the quote 'he who owns the narrative controls the story' So much of our history has been led and told by men. Gregory rewrites 900 years of history and reveals a path women can be proud of, and build from. What could be more uplifting and empowering?’ – Edwina Dunn, founder of The Female Lead
'This is redemption for the unsung female heroes lost through time. Prepared to feel aghast, proud and inspired when reading this book. Philippa Gregory is more than an author, she is warrior for the ‘normal’, the ordinary, a disruptor who refuses to be silenced, with her pen in hand she has 'slayed' once again.’ – Geri Haliwell
Author
About Philippa Gregory
Philippa Gregory was an established historian and writer when she discovered her interest in the Tudor period and wrote the international bestseller The Other Boleyn Girl, which became a major film starring Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson. Several books later, she is looking at the family that precedes The Tudors in the The Cousins' War series, which was televised by the BBC as The White Queen.
Philippa's other great interest is the charity that she founded nearly twenty years ago: Gardens for The Gambia. She has raised funds and paid for several hundred wells for the primary schools of this poor African country. A former student of Sussex University, and a PhD and Alumna of the Year at Edinburgh University, her love of history is the hallmark of her writing. She lives with her family on a small farm in Yorkshire.
Author photo copyright: Chris Leah
More About Philippa Gregory
